The Father Hunt

That was an example of a client's notion getting in the way. "I'm talking," I told her distinctly and returned to Lily. "It's very personal and she doesn't want anyone to know about it, not even you, and I'm proud and happy that she trusts me so much that she calls me Archie, so about her problem I'll only say that she is not responsible for it. Other people created it; she merely wants to solve it. She came to see Nero Wolfe two weeks ago today." "Why do you-" Amy started, and stopped. Lily was smiling at me. "Ole, Escamillo," she said, and put a kiss on a fingertip and flipped it to me.

"Last night," I told Amy, "there was a development. With Miss Rowan here I can't give you the details, and I wouldn't anyhow at this stage. But it is now more than a wild guess that your mother's death wasn't just an accidental hit-and-run, that it was deliberate murder, and _ if so it's possible that he has ideas about you. We don't know-" "He? Who?"

"You have probably never heard the name we're interested in, and you won't hear it now. We don't know what motive he might have had for your mother, or if

he has one for you, but once in a situation like this we made a bad mistake and once is enough." I turned to Lily. "Can she stay here? I mean stay. Not even go out in the hall. This terrace is okay; I doubt if he has a helicopter. Until we know more than we do now. Perhaps just a couple of days, but it could be a couple of weeks. You could get a lot of work done on the book." "Why not?" Lily said. "Certainly." Amy was squinting at me, squinting and frowning. "But you can't expect me… You can't just tell me…" She looked at Lily. "If you don't mind, Miss Rowan, I want to ask him something. I mean alone."

"I don't mind," Lily said, "but I know him better than you do. He's working. When he's playing he's wonderful _s -usually-but when he's working he's impossible. He said he wouldn't give you any details, but if you want to try I don't mind."

"I do," I told Amy. "I've got things to do, and anyway there's nothing I could or would teU you. This development may be a dud, and I've got to find out." I stood up. "You'll want to go to your apartment to bring things, but don't take all day." To Lily: "The standard rate for bodyguarding is six dollars an hour, but you shouldn't count the hours you're working on the book." "May I take her to the country for the weekend?" "No. It's barely possible we'll need her." "You didn't drink the tea."